Waymo announced a long term-strategic alliance with J.B. Hunt, which will become Waymo Via’s first customer for fully autonomous, driverless freight routes. Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet Inc., began trial runs with J.B. Hunt in June 2021 for its autonomous driving technology, involving daily routes along the I-45 corridor between Houston and Fort Worth, Texas. At the...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/loaded-and-rolling-driver-as-a-service-and-the-dangers-of-dwell
In an industry milestone, Bay Area-based autonomous sidewalk delivery company Serve Robotics announced Thursday that it had completed the first-ever commercial deliveries using autonomous vehicles that require zero human intervention.
Serve revealed that it will be deploying next-generation robots with Level 4 autonomy, meaning the vessels don’t require remote operators to keep an eye on deliveries or step in if needed. Contrast that with competitors in the sidewalk delivery industry like Coco,...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/serve-robotics-achieves-autonomous-robo-delivery-milestone
Nuro, the autonomous vehicle maker focused on transporting goods rather than passengers, on Wednesday revealed its third-generation, fully electric driverless vehicle, simply called Nuro. The Mountain View, California-based company also announced that it will roll out the vehicle in Houston as part of an expansion of its partnership with nationwide grocer Kroger, with plans to scale its autonomous delivery service to millions of Americans nationwide.
“With the introduction of our new flagship...
Driverless vehicles have been talked about as a wave of the future for years, a new mode to not only transport people but to transform the last mile of delivery by putting technology in the driver’s seat. But the results so far have been … well, less than desirable. Still, that hasn’t quenched investors’ zeal for putting their money into the space.
Driverless vehicle startup Faction is the latest company to reel in a new backer. The Bay Area-based startup, which develops fully autonomous...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/faction-gets-in-on-driverless-vehicle-action
Zipline has made a name for itself as the drone company for underserved and remote populations, delivering emergency medical supplies like vaccines and blood transfusions to remote locations across Africa and Southeast Asia. Now it’s coming to the U.S.
Zipline and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) have partnered to launch an autonomous drone delivery service in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, which will mark the company’s first commercial deliveries in the U.S. The rollout of the new service closely follows news earlier...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/zipline-launches-us-commercial-deliveries-with-walmart
One of the biggest barriers to global humanitarian aid efforts is and has always been access. There’s only so much an organization like the United Nations can do when up against bureaucratic restrictions, thefts of humanitarian assets in transit and, crucially, weak transportation infrastructure.
“More than a billion people are disconnected from reliable roadways,” Kofi Asante, vice president of strategy and business development for drone maker Elroy Air, told eVTOL.com. “That means if you were...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/elroy-air-ayr-logistics-partner-to-use-drones-for-humanitarian-aid
This fireside chat recap is from Day 1 of FreightWaves’ F3 Virtual Experience.
FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Can autonomous trucks end our supply chain woes?
DETAILS: Plus’ COO discusses the timeline of deploying autonomous trucking technology, what logistics providers are currently using driverless trucks and the job impact autonomous trucks will have on the industry in the future.
INTERVIEWER AND SPEAKER: Grace Sharkey, staff writer at FreightWaves, and Shawn Kerrigan, COO and co-founder of Plus.
BIO:...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/f3-chat-can-autonomous-trucks-end-our-supply-chain-woes
Automotive radar systems solutions provider Spartan Radar announced Wednesday it has closed on a $15 million series A round led by Prime Movers Lab, with its existing investors, 8VC and Mac VC, participating in the round as well.
This raise comes just about two months after the company closed on a $10 million seed round led by Prime Movers Lab, showcasing the immediate need for level 2 autonomous mobility in the transportation market.
“After billions of dollars in investments and several AV...
It’s no secret that self-driving vehicles are a thing. From trucks to passenger vehicles to middle-mile delivery vans, companies across the transportation industry are doing everything they can to get drivers out of vehicles.
But they can only do so much. Currently, there exists no overarching federal legislation for the regulation of driverless vehicles, with the only framework in place being a patchwork of state-by-state regulations and statutory requirements. That has severely limited their...
It’s that time of week again. In the first installment of Drone Disruptors, Modern Shipper talked with Flytrex co-founder and CEO Yariv Bash about bringing drone deliveries to your backyard, including the utopian possibility of a subscription to your morning coffee (via drone, of course).
Read: Drone Disruptors: Flytrex is bringing drones to your backyard
First time trying drone delivery & we ordered Starbucks! At...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/drone-disruptors-volansis-autonomous-drone-ecosystem